Recent Comments by lab

Giants ace Lincecum cited for marijuana possession

Be like Tim. Roll up better numbers. Earn your green a bit more

Based on the fact that Tim was also caught with a pipe, I'd say he is an amatuer. He was probably smoking good green through a dirty resin filled pipe. I guess he knows how to roll up numbers on the field, but doesn't recognize the value of them off the field. The smoke is better and you can eat the number when you see the flashing lights behind you. Come on Tim, you can set a better example than that.

Women's Soccer Playoff Turns Ugly

Those actions probably deserve criminal charges. What the h*!! were the refs doing? I think I counted 6 maulings that each deserved a red card. Lambert has anger issues and should seek treatment. The refs should not be allowed to ref another game. The coach should have taken Lambert out of the game and sat her a$$ on the bench. Too many people failed the players, the league and the game of soccer.

Girardi risks his life helping accident victim after the series celebration

Just thinking outloud. Girardi just won the WS. I assume celebrations abound. Never won myself, but I am assuming. Wouldn't it be reasonably likely that Girardi has a few in celebration with his team? I wouldn't expect him to be behind the wheel. I agree he did the right thing in helping the victim.

Marcus Jordan Costs College Team Endorsement

Evidently keeping Marcus is more important to UCF than the Adidas contract. For what reason? Who knows. A make-up revenue stream from somewhere else is the likely answer. I don't think this is about anything other than $$$.

Yankees Win World Series

Phillies Force Game 6 with 8-6 Squeaker

Cliff Lee has never been started on three days' rest in his entire career. He has thrown 265 innings this year, which is only surpassed by four other pitchers this entire decade. Cole Hamels is a much stronger choice for the final game.

The stats are not arguable. Hamels being the stronger choice is highly debatable. Stronger choice in what way - physically, mentally? My original comment was with regard to starting Hamels on a short leash in game 7. That would not be my choice. At this moment in time, my feeling is that Hamels is mentally beat before he steps on the field. Lee's mentality is so tough, he could gut out game 7 for the Phils.

"From a starting pitcher's standpoint, three days' rest in October was never an issue, because from the time you're 5 years old, doing that 'World Series' replay in your back yard, it's the game, the innings, the at-bats you've always dreamed about having the ball in your hand for," Schilling wrote on his blog, 38 Pitches.

Gibson and Koufax pitched on 2 days rest in the WS, if memory serves. I should check that though. I found this:

Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson won clinching World Series games on 2 days rest. Gibson scoffs at all this talk of rest, especially with how much money these pitchers make. In the 1964 World Series Gibson won game 5 against the Yankees by pitching 10 innings on 3 days rest. And then he won game 7, a 9 inning complete game, on two days rest.

I don't imagine you'd want to do that all year," Gibson said. "But for playoffs and World Series . . . if you can't do it then, when the hell can you do it? I don't quite get it."

I'm happy to be on the side of Gibson, Schilling and Koufax. I'd pitch Lee.

Phillies Force Game 6 with 8-6 Squeaker

Yes, and these are players at the highest level. There shouldn't be an open base. This shouldn't happen regardless of the manager.

Glad to see you agree with me. That's exactly what I said. I'm assuming you read it since you responded to it. So where did the lack of understanding come from?

You're really reaching now. These are not rookies. Lee, Pedro are veterans. Hamels was the WS mvp last year. They're use to pressure. The managers know their pitchers. They should be able to tell when they're rattled. These are not your 14 year old kids.

Reaching? That would be funny if it wasn't ridiculous. Every team uses this strategy, even in regular season games, nontheless the playoffs. And not just for 14 year olds. Armchair coaches are equipped with that knowledge.

I'll stand by my statement about your short leash in game 7 of the WS. Why don't the Phillies just spot the Yanks 4 or 5 runs and see if they can win with whoever is going to have to replace Hamels? I would much rather have Lee on a short leash than Hamels, if I had to have a short leash.

High School Refs: All Celebrations are Unsportsmanlike

Players deserve some level of celebration on the field, although I often find it makes the players look low class. It should be acceptable to celebrate with your teamates, but it should never be directed at the opposing team or taken 'over the top". What is over the top? This is the problem. It is a judgement that is made at the time of the celebration. As a coach, I discourage celebrations. My philosophy is stay focused and let your play do the talking. Celebrate off the field after the game. This is hard to impose on kids who are hyped to play, but I'll put a player on the bench to think about it when I find it in poor taste. Bottom line - official makes the call and it stands. We can talk about the ability of officials at this level to make good judgement calls, but that is another topic.

Phillies Force Game 6 with 8-6 Squeaker

As I said in the previous WS thread, the fact that the Yankees are forced to go with a 3 man rotation is what gives the Phillies a chance.

Not sure I agree on that point. IMO, 4 and 5 day rests are the norm for longevity reasons and not for short term pitching effectiveness. In fact, Manuel might have gone to a 3 day rotation for the WS.

but they are being outmanaged as well? Manuel has made some questionable decisions this WS. Care to give examples?

Manuel has also left too many pitchers in too long this series. The list is long. If he could hear me screamin at the TV he wouldn't have lol. His long leash has not been rewarded with performance against the Yanks.
Yes, Victorino being pulled last night was a mistake.
The shift and giving away the double stolen base was a stupid mistake. I am a manager at the the 13-14 yr level. My players know that every base MUST be covered on EVERY play. No exceptions and we don't wonder about it after the play. Did you hear Manual stumble all over himself when he was asked about that in the postgame interview? Looked to me like he never thought about it until it was too late. He mumbled something about the catcher TRYING to get there! What, the catcher makes the throw to second and then beats the runner to third? I dont think so.
Allowing Lidge to throw fastballs at the end of game 4. If the pitcher and catcher can't handle sliders withouth passed balls, then they shouldn't be in there. Show some confidence in your best pitch and quit worrying about making a mistake while doing what you do best.
Almost no visits to the mound to settle things down, refocus players and review strategy during the difficult innings where the Yanks have made big comebacks.
Let's see...anything else?

I don't think it's a tough decision at all. It's a no-brainer. You pitch Cole with a short leash as you would any pitcher when you're in a 7th game.

Start a pitcher in the 7th game of the WS with a short leash? What does that mean? Manuel obviously doesn't know what a short leash is. Why don't the Phillies just spot the Yanks 4 or 5 runs and see if they can win with whoever is going to have to replace Hamels? I would much rather have Lee on a short leash than Hamels, if I had to have a short leash.

If you had told the Phillies a game ago that they would be in a game 7 with last years WS MVP on the mound, sure, the odds are in Sabathia's favor, but they would have taken it in a heart beat.

That scenario has no meaning today. Lee can go on short rest and Hamels has proven he has nothing. What is to be gained by starting Hamels instead of Lee in game 7? I know what is to be lost. Put your ace on the mound in game 7 and live with result.

Phillies Force Game 6 with 8-6 Squeaker

So has Hamels thrown in the towel mentally? Given the fact that he has been performing so poorly and now appears to have given up, I would find it hard to put him into a WS game. Manuel now has to decide where Hamel's head is - in the game or not? On one hand he may have mentally quit, on the other, he may now have something to prove and pitch better than he has.

Has anyone else notice that not only are the Phillies being outplayed, but they are being outmanaged as well? Manuel has made some questionable decisions this WS.

Utley ties Reggie's World Series Record

Another Fact: His last homer was off the slider. The guy has a GREAT ability to swing only at pitches in the strike zone. He has the best strike zone of any hitter that I can think of. His short explosive swing allows him to adjust to breaking balls. What do you throw to a guy that's this hot? Balls.

Aluminum Bat Maker Liable in Baseball Player's Death

I guess I'm not conveying the idea properly.

It's probably my inablility to conceive of the situation that you propose. There has been alot of study and analysis done on the physics of a baseball bat hitting a ball. I think batmakers are already approaching the limit of what can be achieved by building an object that cannot supply power on its own. It really is coming down to 1/2 x mass x velocity^2. The other part is the elasticity of the collision. This is what the batmakers are optimizing, since the other parameters are due to the human swinging the bat. I guess my engineering mind is limiting my ability to understand such an abstract proposition.

I guess I am unable to play along with that premise. What would I do? Make the field bigger. How unsatisfying is that?

Yankees Even Series Behind Burnett, Rivera

There are many calls that are not easy to make. Should we be upset when the ump gets it wrong? Probably not, but we should think about how to fix the problem. Instant replay is the only way that I am aware of to correct human mistakes. It won't be perfect but it will be better. I am more concerned about the calls of balls and strikes. Players train for years to find the edges of the strike zone. Umpires miss these calls very frequently. In fact the better the pitcher is at throwing to the edges of the strike zone, the more errors will be made on ball/strike calls. The technology exists to precisely determine if a pitch is a ball or strike. Why isn't it being used? Do we really think that a human can make repeatedly accurate judgements on the location of a ball travelling at 100mph and is breaking? It would be simple to automate this task and the decision would come faster than an umpire's.

Aluminum Bat Maker Liable in Baseball Player's Death

You misunderstood the point of my remark. I am not advocating a speed limit. I am saying that it's simple logic to assume that if batted-ball speeds continue to increase, there will come a point at which the injuries and deaths become a public safety concern, so a solution would need to come from somewhere.

I think I did understand your point. I just didn't agree with it. My point is why do we need a social solution to a simple problem? Off the top of my head, I would suggest that we make the field larger. The increased distance would give everyone more reaction time to deal with hard hit balls. Look how far back infielders are playing these days - many times they are in the outfield. This never used to be the case. It's because batted ball velocities have increased on average and they need more time to make a play. Sadly for the pitcher, he can't back up until they move the mound.

Aluminum Bat Maker Liable in Baseball Player's Death

Products list all the warnings on their packaging. We are safer because of lawsuits like this.

Bats have bat speed ratings printed on them. The information is on the product for those that care to read it and understand it. Are baseball players safer due to this? Nope. Do players need to have their safety protected by the courts? Nope

I don't understand why they don't design metal bats to slow the ball off the bat. It isn't a necessary part of metal bats that the ball comes off the bat so fast.You don't really want to this question answered do you?

I don't have proof of this, but I'll bet the kid who was killed had an aluminum or composite bat in his bag that day. And it surely wasn't designed to hit the ball with less velocity.

Also, wood bats break, fly into the field and cause serious unjuries as well. I wonder which type of bat is actually safer? I should find a lawyer and have baseball banned for the safety of us all. Wonder how much money I could make from that? I'm nervous that a ball, that has exceeded the safety limit, might fly through my office window at any moment.

Aluminum Bat Maker Liable in Baseball Player's Death

So let's assume there's a speed limit for safely batted balls, and if bats are improved until they pass that limit, the injuries and deaths would increase until it became a public safety concern.

With all due respect - that's on hell of an assumption! A speed limit for safely batted balls? The speed doesn't just come from the bat, it's the guy swinging it. If a genetically gifted player starts hitting the ball past the assumed limit, what will we do with him - put him in jail?

Yankees Even Series Behind Burnett, Rivera

Werth being picked off was huge. The game seemed to change from that point on. Inexcusable.

That was one boneheaded move by Werth. What was he thinking? My Junior division kids (13-14) know that a lead while the ball is in the catcher's mitt is pointless. Not sure it changed the game though...Just embarrassing for Jason.

Aluminum Bat Maker Liable in Baseball Player's Death

The death of the young man is a tragic accident. I stress the word accident. This could just as easily have happened with a wood bat. Anyone on or near a baseball field is in the line of fire and should consider that before they place themselves in that environement. I coach baseball in wood bat only leagues and in 'normal' leagues' where high tech bats are allowed. I prefer wood bats because the ball doesn't fly as fast or as hard, which makes for a more pure game, in my opinion. More infield play with more emphasis on good pitching and defense. This results in improved skills for the players.

This ruling illustrates that our legal system is broken. I cannot understand what this jury could be thinking. Failing to warn the user of the danger of a bat is like failing to state that you will get wet when you walk outside in a rainstorm. If H&B had issued a warning, would the outcome have been any different? Let's imagine this situation. Kid comes up to bat. Umpire or coach or parent stops the game and tells everyone that the bat about to be used will result in a hit that is 8mph faster. Coach of the team in the field take his players off the field because he doesn't feel they are safe, or player is forced to use a different bat. Ever been to a baseball game? This is nonsense. I am assuming that the bat is legal for use in this particular league. If so, then the parents and player should have read the rules regarding bats and declined to participate.

Antoine Walker broke, arrested for writing bad checks

Cliff Lee Dominates as Phillies Take Game 1

Lee was on another planet last night. The non-chalant catch was Three Stooges funny...and, well, non-chalant. The behind the back grab on the comebacker is the play that indicated that is was just Cliff's night, and hence, the Phillies.